A New Beginning
by Linwe Amandil
Summary: Takes place 5 years after the end of When Your World Falls Apart by willowfairy. Draco and Hermione find each other, but will love spring again?
1. Chapter 1

Revised! 1/15/07

This is the sequel to When Your World Falls Apart by willowfairy. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so. Not only is it amazing writing, but this probably won't make much sense.

I apologize in advance for my updating. I'm going to be up-front now. I am horrible at updating, mostly because I'm lazy and I don't write as often as I should. So, as a promise to readers, I will try my very hardest to update at least once every 3 months. I know it's not the best, but I don't want to promise something that's not going to happen. And I also apologize for the crappy breaks in the story- I still haven't figured out how to do that.

On to the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter; that right belongs to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own the plot and the ideas contained in this story, along with willowfairy.

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter 1**

_"Don't leave, please." Her eyes were locked on mine. She looked so scared._

_"I won't leave."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise."_

Draco Malfoy jerked himself out of the dream state he was in, gasping for breath. It was the third time this week that he'd had that dream. Grumbling, he pushed aside the momory. It had been five years since he had been at Hogwarts with her, and he had moved on. Fond memories of a loving girl had no place in a Death Eater's mind.

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"Miss Granger? Miss Granger, wake up!"

Hermione jumped in her chair. Once again, she had fallen asleep in the office overnight. She looked up at the person who had woken her up, her secretary Percy. When he had first been hired, she laughed at the close resemblance he had to another Percy- Percy Weasley. Young and eager to help, he had been perfect for Hermione's usage.

"Percy, can you please get me a coffee? Black, please," she added as he turned to leave the office. She turned her attention to the paper on her desk, attempting to focus her vision. After spending the remainder of her school year in France, her mind turned to careers. She got a job as a simple desk clerk in the British Magical Embassy and worked her way up for the past five years to her position in the Office of Defense, which worked with the French Ministry to combat Dark Wizardry. Ever since Cornelius Fudge had admitted the return of Voldemort, her office had been overwhelmed with information and overworked to the point of exhaustion. When Hermione first started working there, she had been glad for all the work. It helped take her mind off of things. Now, she and everyone else in the office were simply tired.

She squinted even further at the page, trying to make out the blurry words. It was a lost cause.

"Your coffee, Miss Granger." Percy came back with coffee in his hand, extending it to Hermione.

"Thanks," she responded, taking the coffee out of his hand. "I tell you, all of this overworking is really getting to me. It's getting to the point where I can't even read what's in front of me. Want to give this a try?" She passed the paper to Percy.

His eyes skimmed over the paper, taking in all the information that was lost to Hermione. "It says that there was an attack by giants in a muggle seaside town," Percy explained. "They're asking you to produce an explanation to give to the muggles."

"Well?" Hermione prompted.

Percy gave her a confused look. "Well, what?"

"Well, how would you explain this?" she asked.

Percy looked taken aback, shocked that his opinion was asked on an important issue. "Er, soil erosion?"

Hermione gave him a grateful look. "Thanks Percy, you're a genius. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Thank you very much, Miss Granger," he said. "I'm just trying to help out whenever I'm needed."

Hermione smiled. "If you keep up the way you're going now, you're definitely going places. The Minister is always looking for good people like you."

Finally, after years of Cornelius Fudge's failings, he was replaced as Minister of Magic. Fudge had always been shown to be an incompetent fool, so it certainly came as no surprise to Hermione when Rufus Scrimgeour replaced him as Minister. After being head of the Auror Department, he certainly showed leadership qualities. Hermione just hoped that it would be enough to win the war.

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"Draco!" a voice called out. Draco turned around to see Theodore Nott running toward him. "Hey Draco! Your father wants you back in the room. He wants to see you for something."

Draco looked at Theodore with a confused face. He had never been asked to stay behind; that was usually reserved for the Dark Lord's oldest and most trusted supporters. "Are you sure?" he asked Theodore after a long pause.

"Yes, I'm positive," Theodore said. "I don't know what they want, but good luck." Draco shrugged. He waved goodbye to Theodore and continued down the hall, back to the room. Outside the door, he paused before knocking. He had no idea what was going to happen after he entered the room. Finally, he gathered up the courage to knock. The door swung open to reveal Wormtail, the Dark Lord's main servant. Draco stepped in wordlessly, following Wormtail into the next room.

"Wormtail, leave," a silky voice announced as he opened the door. As soon as the door closed, Lucius Malfoy turned to his son with a smile on his face. "Draco, I think you'll be pleased to know that the Dark Lord has selected you for a special task." At Draco's surprised yet pleased look, Lucius continued. "The Dark Lord wants you to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic."

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	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: The first chapter has been revised, so I suggest re-reading that. The changes aren't major, but I think it will still be worth reading. Also, I apologize deeply for taking so long to update. I basically wrote myself into a corner and had to go back and re-write everything I had. I trashed about 15 pages of handwritten story, but I like what I have now and I hope you do too.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling, and everything else is mine.

**Chapter 2**

The room was deadly silent. Draco liked times like this; it allowed him to just sit and reflect on things. He often thought about Hogwarts and everything that happened in those seven years. Mostly, he thought about the unhappy times. Those weren't the only kind of times he had there, but they were the most abundant and the least painful to think about. He hated reflecting on the happy times. Remembering those times with Hermione only made him feel miserable, reminding him of what a horrible person he had become. The boy who had learned to love grew up into a man who killed others. Draco was a horrible person, and he reminded himself about it every chance he got.

The sound of the doorknob turning dragged Draco from his thoughts. Through the door entered Lucius Malfoy, outlined by the bright light seeping in from the hallway. Draco rose to his feet as Lucius slammed the door shut.

"Hello, Father," Draco said anxiously. "Do you have any more information about my task?" Draco figured he might as well jump straight to the point; he and his father were never ones for small talk.

"Yes, that's why I'm here. The Dark Lord wants you to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. You must be covert. If anyone in the Ministry believes information is being compromised, your job becomes worthless." He paused, surveying his son with interest to see his reaction. Draco remained cool.

Lucius continued. "Use whatever connections you have, and do not disregard any information you hear. It is the Dark Lord's job to decide what information is importatn, not yours. I don't think I need to mention the severe punishment you will receive if you neglect anything. You start tomorrow." He turned sharply on his heel and exited the room, leaving his son alone to absorb his task.

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_Dear Hermione,_

_  
Things are going well here- well, as well as things can go in the middle of a war. My family is still safe and healthy; thanks for asking. So much has happened since my last letter. Ron's found a new girl- even Mum likes her, and that's saying something. Everyone really thinks she could be the one. Bill and Fleur just had their second child. It's another boy. They've named him Albus, after Professor Dumbledore. I think it's a great name; Ron thinks they're loony. Fred and George are talking about opening another shop- in Paris! It's mostly because of you. They think that you've been deprived from quality pranks for far too long. As for me, I finally took the Healer Qualifying Test- and passed! I'm now a fully qualified healer, and I can't even begin to describe how happy everyone is for me._

_There's so much more I'd love to say that I can't put in a letter, so I'll just end like I always do- we miss you so incredibly much and we want you to come home soon!_

_Love, Ginny_

Hermione loved every single letter she got form Ginny. Ginny had always been so understanding and never prodded into uncomfortable areas. Others had written to Hermione, including Ron and even Mrs. Weasley, but Ginny's letterswere always her favorite. She had a knack for writing in a way that made Hermione feel like she was really there.

Hermione glanced over the letter, smiling. She was surprised yet pleased to her about the possibility of a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in Paris. The poor, unsuspecting Parisians could soon be exposed to Fred and George's wild yet amusing pranks. The only thing Ginny never told her about was the war. Hermione could only get that news from the papers. Information could not be trusted by owl; the chance of a letter being intercepted was too great to risk saying anything. Hermione didn't know who was fighting for which side or what either side was doing until after something happened. The isolation from her family and friends was beginning to take a toll, and she was tired. Hermione began to think that perhaps, a change was necessary.

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